Chapter 29

Trigger

I’m starting to think I need to turn Church into an apartment for as much as we’ve all been here in the last few months. I want normal club business. I want to go home in the evenings from work and enjoy dinner with my family. Razz, the kids and I need to be able to spend quality time together and not receive a phone call in the middle of the night that has us waiting for the next shoe to drop.

Poison and Banshee are the last to enter Church. Poison shuts the door and leans against it. Those two might as well join the Chaotic’s since they’re here more than they are at the Rioting Devil’s Clubhouse. They don’t seem to mind, but I’m sure Brute is itching for them to return.

The gavel hits the table and all conversation cease to exist. Dad’s face is tight, eyes cold and body tense. He’s just as over all this bullshit as the rest of us. Over the past few years, the Chaotic’s have gone from a quiet family-oriented club that has done away with the illegal shit to a club torturing for information and revenge, breaking up sex trafficking rings and rescuing our women and kids from being kidnapped. As much as that was thrilling to put our skills to the test, I’m ready to be carefree. Live for my family and my club. Enjoy teaching the youngins’ of the club to prank the hell out of their parents and my brothers. One day, hopefully soon, that will all happen.

“As most of you have figured out, Sadie was able to get help and get from underneath our thumbs. Buzzard was able to recognize the voice as Goober, which I’m sure we all would have concluded anyway.” He wipes his hand down his face. “This needs to end. We’ve all had enough. Helping her is no longer and option. I put in a call to Mad Dog and told him I’d release all the incriminating evidence we have of Sadie to him.”

“What about the baby?” Banshee cuts in.

“If she’s arrested, she’ll have the baby in jail. Her being pregnant will probably help her from being tossed in with the dangerous criminals for now. When the baby is born, you and Trigger will have already requested paternity, which I’m sure can be handled through Mauve.” He looks to me. “Text Razz and see what all she’s done through Mauve when it comes to the baby.” I nod and pull out my phone. “I’ve spent most of the last hour putting out fillers for her and Goober around town, but I’ve got nothing. I want to hope she’s done with us, but I know that’s a fucking lie. We need to stay vigilant. If I need to lockdown the Clubhouse, I will. I want my family safe.”

A soft knock on the door has our attention turned to where Poison is waiting for the nod or shake of Dad’s head. He nods and Poison cracks the door. I hear the soft voice of my wife as she hands her cell over to Poison.

“Give this to Rudy. Tell him to look at the texts from Mauve and the one from Jenna.” Poison grunts and closes the door bringing the phone to my dad.

Dad reads over the first text. “Okay, so when it comes to the paternity tests, Mauve has already petitioned and subpoenaed Sadie or Serafina Breaux, so that’s not a worry.” He thumbs to the next one and if he was an animated character, smoke would be billowing out of his ears. He lifts his head to us and clenches his fist. “Jenna texted Razz about twenty minutes ago, about a strange pickup sitting outside of Mrs. Johnson’s house. Razz told her to sit tight out of sight and call the police. There hasn’t been a response back from Jenna yet. We can assume its Sadie.”

Spook interrupts. “Text her and tell her to take a picture of the truck.”

He nods and plucks away. “Okay, we’ll wait for confirmation.” It beeps and he nods his head. “It’s Goober’s truck and the police have been called. We might be able to end this peacefully today.”

“Don’t give us false hope, Prez.” Ryker grits. “That bitch was in my house with my wife and kids for years. I want this to end just as much as the next guy but I also know that she’s dodged every attempt we’ve made so far. She doesn’t care about hurting anyone not even her own daughter. Now with Goober at her side, there’s no telling what could happen next.”

“I agree.” My dad exclaims. Razz’s phone starts ringing in his hand. “Rudy.” I watch him nod, hear him grunt a few times and then he’s slamming his hand on the table. “Fuck. Alright, honey. Go back to your apartment and stay put. I’ll have Razz call you back and she’ll get you all squared away.” He hangs up, gets up and starts walking back and forth. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He repeats as he stomps and runs his hand roughly through his hair.

“Prez!” I yell stopping him in his tracks. “Tell us.”

He plops back into his chair. “By the time the police showed up, they were gone. When they went into the house, they found Mrs. Johnson sitting in her recliner with a bullet hole in her head. Jenna is a wreck, but she was able to give them the information and picture of the truck. Now the police are on the hunt for Goober and Sadie.”

Beanie pushes back from the table and storms out of Church. He’s gotten pretty close with Mrs. Johnson. He makes sure to call her every Sunday after she goes to church and find out how she’s doing. He may not have known her long, but she became his family.

Dad hands me Razz’s phone. “Take this to your wife and have her call Jenna.”

“Sure.” I leave Church with nothing resolved and everything still up in the air. I find Razz in the main room sitting across from a passed out Toby. “Darlin’.” Her head swings in my direction. “I need you to call Jenna. Those fuckers killed Mrs. Johnson and Jenna is out of sorts.” She nods as tears fill her eyes. “Hang in there.”

“She has no soul, Trigger. She’ll eventually throw Goober under the bus and move on to the next dumbass.” She whispers.

“She’s not invincible. She’ll get caught and then there’s nothing anyone can do for her.”

“Yeah, but when exactly is that going to happen. It could be years from now until we get rid of her wrath, all because I took her toy from her.”

“But I’m the best toy you’ve ever had to play with.” I try to lighten the mood.

“True, but really I don’t know if it was worth all the bullshit I’ve gone through.” She says teasingly.

“You better take that back or I’m going to show you how good of a toy I can be when we get home.”

“Nope. I think I want to find out how good you can be.” She smirks.

“Game on.” As I’m hauling her to me, Banshee rushes to the TV, changes the channel and turns it up. Across the bottom of the screen there’s a banner about breaking news.

“ What are we looking at right now, Mike?” The reporter questions. “Well Jill as of a few minutes ago, a high-speed chase between the police and the driver of the white pickup began. The driver and passenger are the main suspects in the recent murder of one Clarice Johnson of Erwin. When police attempted to pull them over, the driver sped off and the police have been in pursuit since.”

Razz clutches my arm as we watch Goober weave in and out of traffic, running through medians and into oncoming traffic. His driving is erratic. I bet he didn’t wake up this morning and say ‘I’m going to kill a grandma and end up in a battle against the po-po.’

The reporter gasps and I watch as one of the police cruisers nudges the bumper of Goober’s truck and he looses control. He heads straight for a ditch and then the truck’s doing flips, spins and then several rolls until it comes to a stop. The police cruisers screech to a halt and they ready themselves for the possibly armed criminals in the crumbled truck.

The driver door swings open and a bloody Goober gets out with his hands above his head lowering to his knees. There’s still no sight of Sadie and we all wait in silence as an officer climbs through the driver’s side and another stands on the passenger’s side.

Fire and rescue appear on the scene and rush the officers out of the way. I watch enrapt in them motioning for this, that and the other until a stretcher is wheeled close to the driver’s side door. A paramedic quickly wraps a collar around Sadie’s neck as the firefighters get her positioned on the stretcher. She is swept away into the back of the ambulance and Goober is escorted to the back of an awaiting police cruiser.

“Trigger,” Razz soothes, “we need to get on the road and figure out where they are taking her.” All I can do is nod. “Banshee, you’re riding with us. Rudy, can you let Queenie and Greer know what’s going on?”

“Sure, suga.” Dad responds.

“Poison, get Mauve on the phone and let her know what happened and make sure she has paperwork on hand just in case we need it.” Poison nods and Razz continues to give out orders as she pushes Banshee and me out the door and to the Tahoe.

With a silent prayer that the baby is okay, I climb into the passenger seat and make the dreaded trip to Tennessee.